By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON December 31, 2010 – The city of Burlington has begun to set the ground rules for any business it might do with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. You want to deal with us, says the city – put it in writing.
Yesterday the city formally requested an Expression of Interest from the Tiger Cats. “Without something in writing we don t really have anything to consider”, said a spokes person for the Mayor.
Let’s see what the football players come back with. Good on our guys for doing it right. Up front, out front and transparent.
Stay tuned as this story breaks.
Women’s soccer teams
Want time slots back.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON January 9, 2011 – A soccer Mom is someone you do not want to tangle with and a soccer Mom that also plays soccer – well steer clear of her and for heaven’s sake don’t get into an argument.
The Burlington Youth Soccer Club management is about to learn that lesson – they have run afoul of the Burlington Woman’s Recreational Soccer League, a 120 member organization that has been getting out on the soccer field for more than ten years, usually on Monday evenings and they are ticked because someone has taken their Monday night time slots – and they want them back.
 The field on which this argument is taking place is at Sherwood Forest Park in the east end of the city. Two domes are located in the park along with an a number of outdoor soccer pitches. The facility is managed by the Burlington Youth Soccer Club (BYSC) who are responsible for allocating the time available. The park is owned by the city; the domes were paid for by the city under an arrangement where they city created a debenture that the BYSC pays down each month. The first dome proved to be very so successful that a second dome was erected.
The woman got into the habit pf playing their games on Monday nights and that worked for awhile but then things got out of whack and the woman found that their time slot was not longer available to them and they tried to work out a better arrangement with the BYSC but that got them nowhere.
The city parks staff got involved and that didn’t get as far as the woman wanted it to get – they just wanted their Monday night time slot back. So they took their complaint to city council where everyone appeared before Community Services Committee.
Each side got up to tell their side of the story and the facts offered weren’t always the same. The BYSC explained that the Burlington Soccer League had put up $100,000. of the cost of the first dome for which they got exclusive rights to 15 hours a week, Monday to Friday
The woman began to wonder if there wasn’t a bit of gender discrimination going on and so they had a lawyer send a letter – and whenever individual rights and the abuse of those rights gets thrown into the mix and a lawyer’s letter is added – everyone sits up and pays attention.
Council members really didn’t want the problem on their hands but now that is was in front of them – they began asking questions. The BYSC is going to wish that they had just given the woman what they wanted because now council wants to know what happens to all the money that is raised through rentals of the domed fields. Mention was made of kick boxing events, rugby games and field hockey. How much money is raised wondered Ward 5 council member Paul Sharman and he wanted staff to have an audit done on the agreement the BYSC has with the city.
When the manager of the Burlington Soccer League (these are the people that put up the $100,000 and in return got exclusive use of 15 hours of after 8 pm time five days a week) admitted that his League didn’t always use the time that was theirs and that they were then re-selling that time to other organizations the woman were crying foul and Sharman wanted to take a closer look at the books,
Matters weren’t helped when the manager of the Soccer League described himself as the “hired gun” for the League and then admitted that the Monday evening time slot in dome 2 was being used for pick up soccer games, other council members looked somewhat askance.
By the time all the council members had their say – it was evident that things weren’t running smoothly with BYSC but Council didn’t want to have to resolve the problem so they agreed to send it back to the Parks and Recreation staff with a clear direction to solve the problem. Scott Stewart, General Manager, Community Services was described by Mayor Goldring as “the perfect guy with the perfect style” and given the task to clean up the mess.
The woman will get their time slot, auditors will take a closer look at the contract BYSC has with the city and, well you never know what you find when you open the books. BYSC is described as an organization that spends more on staff then they do on uniforms and equipment for the youth playing soccer. A staff of eight people run the organization that has a president earning in excess of $90,000 a year.
BYSC is the oldest not for profit soccer organization in Canada, established in 1962. The BYSC today has over 7,900 male and female youth soccer players, ranging in age from U4 – U21, enrolled in numerous outdoor and indoor programs. It is run by a volunteer board. Someone on that Board is going to ask why this situation got so out of hand that it got to city council and now the auditors are going to start asking all kinds of questions.
Score one for the Moms.
Delivered at a Burlington Chamber of Commerce Breakfast
January 20, 2011
I have to tell you….the first time I became aware of this event was September 22, at the Chamber Lunch where General Rick Hillier was guest speaker.
A PowerPoint presentation announced the Mayor’s State of the City Address would take place on January 20th. It was a very sobering moment during the campaign as I remember thinking, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE I could be the one delivering that address.
I have so much respect for both the current and past leadership as well as the members of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.
During the late 80’s and early 90’s, I had the opportunity to serve on the Chamber Board as Chair of the Political Action Committee, Chair of the Financial Trade Show Committee as well as a member of the Career Education Committee.
During the election campaign, I would often think of how I would be spending my time if I was not successful. In addition to being back full time in business, I would definitely want to play a meaningful role in this organization.
I am honoured to be able to present a State of the City address this morning.
My first draft simply stated “things are great…any questions”………. however, I expect that everyone here is looking for a little more insight than that.
My remarks today will focus on the current State of our City; what my Vision is for the City; and a five-step action plan to achieve these objectives.
When you leave this morning, I hope you remember just four things:
- My Vision for Burlington is a place that is viewed as affordable, inclusive and complete.
- I will lead our City by listening and learning from others and wherever possible building consensus.
- Working together, we will tackle the challenges ahead with a measured approach that balances our wants, our needs and our ability to pay.
- What you see is what you get. Expect me to be honest, direct, clear and enthusiastic. A Mayor that values gaining and maintaining your trust and confidence.
Now a little bit of background about me.
- I speak honestly and directly. I haven’t yet learned the art of the non-answer.
- The Pan Am/Ticat Aldershot stadium discussion provided me with great on the job training but I still have a lot to learn.
- I am a sports fan and love going to live events especially NASCAR races. I go to several races a year with some long time friends and don’t see that changing.
- I was a hardcore runner and ran on average 35 miles per week for 20 years and completed five full marathons. However I am now happy to get to the “Y” 3-4 times a week.
- Many people know that Cheryl and I have seven daughters between us.
- And oh yes, I recently changed jobs.
Current State of the City
As you all know in this room, we have all just come through a global recession. Canada has weathered the storm very well. While Ontario has experienced challenges especially in the manufacturing sector and Burlington has experienced some of this, we have come through the recession in good shape.
Our local unemployment rate peaked in 2009 at 9.2% and is now reported at 7.6%. This is higher than we would like to see, however the trend is going in the right direction.
The Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) reports that we have added 852 new jobs in Burlington, up from 577 in 2009. We remain prosperous.
Burlington has the 16th highest family income in Canada and remains more affordable than Oakville, Newmarket, Mississauga, Milton, Hamilton, Toronto, and Richmond Hill.
At both City and Regional Council, we like to talk about complete communities and 2010 saw progress in this area.
The City has started setting aside funds to support the $312 million Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital re-development and expansion.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre that is on time and on budget will be open in the fall of this year. This is a significant addition to the cultural fabric of the whole city and will provide significant positive impact to the continuing development of our downtown.
Individuals and corporations have contributed over 10.3 million dollars toward the capital cost of the facility. The facility is governed by an independent board composed of a broad cross section of people including entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, as well as people with experience in the arts.
A new twin pad opened at Appleby Ice Centre in the fall of 2010, providing continuing opportunities for youth and adults to remain active. The Users have funded a large part of the project.
In 2010, the DeGroote School of Business of McMaster University opened the new Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington. This outstanding facility is the centre for the DeGroote MBA program.
Also, Charles Sturt University, one of Australia’s largest publically funded universities has expanded its Ontario Campus in Burlington to offer Degrees in Education, Science, and Business with plans to add Degrees in Nursing and other fields and to grow into a full-fledged multi-disciplinary University.
Yes, there has been capital spending, however because of the recession, much of the spending was at costs lower than originally budgeted.
One of the best times for the public sector to build is during an economic downturn when resources are available and costs are reduced. As an example, the projected cost of the Appleby Arena dropped by over $3.0 million with the recession and Performing Arts Centre was able to include many important components to the building that we originally thought would be deferred into the future.
Federal and provincial stimulus dollars have helped this City and province manage through the recession.
In total, the City received some $22.4 million in Senior Government Funding through various stimulus programs. This stimulus funding provided for among others:
- Appleby Arena
- New dressing rooms at Nelson Arena
- Paving of multi-use pathways which are seeing increased use
- Northeast Burlington Fire Station # 8
- New Transit Operations Centre
In addition, at the Regional level we received $90 million towards the upgrade and expansion of the Skyway Wastewater facility on the Beachway. Not very exciting, but a very important investment in our Regional infrastructure.
Traffic is being improved with the King Road Grade Separation and the Waterdown Road Interchange.
Our City also saw some key improvements in Public Transit.
The Presto fare payment system was introduced in May this year and will ultimately improve the usability of our system and connect Burlington’s transit system with the GTA network.
Burlington Transit ridership increased by 5.4% in 2010 and the introduction of low floor fully accessible buses has dramatically improved accessibility.
The Burlington Public Library is reaching customers in new ways and has put access to the Library in the palm of your hand with the City’s first mobile APP.
Our best practices and outstanding staff were recognized this year with a number of awards and honours.
The City continues to be an innovative municipal leader.
City Finances
I think it appropriate to also speak to the financial status of the City itself.
Based on my education and experience I’d give us a B+.
Taxes are comparable with other communities. Our balance sheet has a little more debt than I would like to see and we have seen a moderate deterioration in asset maintenance spending.
The City has $2.0 billion in fair market value assets. Roads and facilities are the bulk of the assets. We need to spend about 2% per year of fair market value just to protect and maintain these assets. We have not been doing that.
Municipal councils throughout Canada have similar challenges and have to juggle priorities and balance the need for infrastructure renewal, with additional services and other community needs.
Over the last four years the City portion of property taxes increased by 29%.
I have set a target of 10% over the next four years and I want to keep this number a priority in our civic agenda.
I’d like to talk a little bit about why 10%.
- First, we need to set targets that are meaningful and achievable and I believe that this target is both.
- Second, I believe that it is time to review our services and operating structure. Our operating structure has been relatively static for 15 plus years and the City has changed in culture, size, demographics, development profile and needs.
It is my observation that despite the tax rate increases that we have experienced, council continues to ask staff to do more with less and this cannot continue. We need to take a different approach.
- Thirdly, the City has to think long term about its human resources. Over the next four years we have a number of staff retiring. If we want the right people, the City should be an attractive place to work and build a career. It is in all our best interests.
- Fourth, I believe that the City has to review its processes and its use of technology and communications tools to be more productive and more effective.
- Lastly, I want to restore a culture at the City of Burlington where Council, Staff and Community are working together to fulfill the long term vision of the city.
I believe that our circumstances call for an focused, collaborative and measured approach with the objective being an updated City Hall operation which deals with 21st century issues using 21st century technology, people and processes and which demonstrates the ability to operate within a sustainable economic plan.
As we move forward together we have some key challenges:
- Burlington is now growing more slowly than any other community in the GTA and will see less revenue as a result.
We will have to approach City operations and services in a different way.
- Burlington’s demographics are changing. Burlington is soon expected to have 20% of its population at retirement age or older.
These key issues lead us to the key questions that we as a community have to address:
- How do we live within our means with slower growth and a changing demographic profile?
- How do we re-align the City’s services to meet the needs and priorities of the community?
- How do we keep a motivated professional staff in place at the City and deal with the costs?
- How do we support and grow our local economy to maintain our quality of life?
Some thoughts on City Issues of the Day
Community Engagement: We have a very engaged community with an abundance of service groups, special interest groups, volunteer sports groups, foundations and fundraising organizations. That said, we can do a better job getting the views of our citizens.
During my first term as a Ward Councillor I conducted several leading edge community consultation processes. These were very effective and helpful and I believe that this type of engagement is an example of ways to improve our connection with the community.
Downtown and the Waterfront: We have an excellent Downtown / Waterfront Plan which was developed with extensive public consultation and included input from over 1400 citizens.
I plan to revisit it through a public symposium, and update it to ensure it continues to reflect a 10-20 year community vision. We also have to expand this neighborhood approach to other areas of the City.
The Pier: The new Council has spent 14 hours in briefings on this issue and is united in our resolve to complete this project. We will fix this as quickly and as cost effectively as possible.
Thinking of community-building brings to mind a recent inspiring speech by Barack Obama last week.
Some of the themes spoke to me and I’d like to share with you now.
– We need to keep the ‘civil’ in civil society.
– We need to be more respectful towards others, and rediscover the virtue of humility and modesty in private and public life.
– We need less ego. In City-building, we need more ‘we’ not ‘me’.
– We need to accept that we live in a complex world. The challenges we face are complex.
– The truth is not always black and white.
– Solutions to every problem are not always quick, easy, simple or even possible.
– We need to listen better.
– We need to be willing to work with others to achieve agreement, even if it means compromise.
– We need to accept that a meaningful community debate means sometimes hearing what isn’t popular. Achieving good public policy is most often a messy process.
– We need to have the courage to share our ideas with one another and encourage others to contribute and improve on these ideas.
A Vision of Burlington
So it’s fair to ask, what is my Vision of the City, and how will we achieve it together?
I feel we should continue to strive to make Burlington an affordable, inclusive, complete community.
Affordable so new families can move here and seniors can stay in their community. Inclusive and complete communities offer an attractive quality of life.
It’s time to take a regional view of the place we call home. Let’s appreciate and embrace the amenities, services and facilities next door as part of our unique Quality of Life.
McMaster, a university ranked in the top one percent of comprehensive universities globally is a 10 minute drive away and we have easy access to Mohawk and Sheridan Colleges.
We have an emerging technology centre in Kitchener-Waterloo an hour away with one of the most successful technology companies in the world.
We also have a world recognized wine district in Niagara.
And Burlington sits in the epicenter of all these amenities and attractions.
My Vision for the City also rests on a foundation of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Enterprise and the amazing contribution business create through wealth-generation, jobs and prosperity is what will help keep Burlington an affordable, inclusive and complete community. The Burlington business community must continue to thrive for all of us to prosper.
So what will Burlington look like 25 years from now?
Imagine:
– A city of about 193,000 nestled on the lake with an escarpment and a rural backyard.
– A city with a strong local economy which allows more people to work close to home.
– A public transportation network which connects Burlington with the GTHA and allows us all to move around better and preserve the environment.
– Increased access to lifelong learning opportunities so that our community can compete and thrive in a global economy.
– An inclusive community which provides for youth and seniors and is a tolerant and cultural oasis in the region.
– A beautiful and well-maintained city with unique and diverse neighbourhoods that are pedestrian and cycle friendly.
– A community that values and achieves sustainability through clearly defined ecological and environmental practices
To achieve this Vision I’m proposing a five-step action plan.
- We need a New Strategic Planning process for the community. Council will be defining a very different process that will provide all citizens a variety of opportunities to provide input into the future of our city. The result will be a more meaningful and measureable civic strategic plan.
- I am proposing to start a new relationship with our community stakeholders with the Mayor’s Community Roundtable. We will have our first conversation next week. The 25 or so Community leaders attending represent a broad cross section of the community through their members, congregations and participants.
- I will be introducing a series of lectures leading up to our next Official Plan review to inspire Burlington to look at ways of changing and improving our quality of life.
- We need to support efforts of the BEDC and the Chamber and others to bring new business to our community and to help existing businesses be successful. Burlington needs to be open for Business including not-for-profit, co-ops and other forms of emerging social entrepreneurship.
- We will create a 4 year financial plan to maintain a manageable level of taxation and live within our means while delivering the services the community wants and this plan will be sustainable in the long term.
In summary, we live in a prosperous caring community blessed with a tremendous natural environment. We have the opportunity to live an urban, suburban or a rural lifestyle. We have the infrastructure and the services needed to provide for the community and most importantly we have a community of citizens that show their commitment every day to our city and the people that live in it. Our opportunities are many and it is up to all of us to build our community to care for those around us. I have complete confidence that we can do this together.
Thank You.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 14, 2010 – More than 1200 people packed the Mainway Arena in Burlington the evening of the first snow fall. They wanted to know all about something called “the big green arrow”. The only thing that wasn’t to be seen was someone outside scalping tickets to a “sold out” event.
The “natives” packed the room to hear Blair Lancaster take the crowd through an explanation about a big green arrow that had been drawn on a map indicating where a new super highway was proposed – that arrow came out of Flamborough though Kilbride and Lowville and joined up with the 403 at about Walkers Line. For a look at the map – click here.
 - It was only a concept map, said a government report but as one person in the room said – “when these things show up on a map they take on a life of their own and become fact.” The arrow designates where a new super highway is being planned.
It was only a concept map, said a government report but as one person in the room said – “when these things show up on a map they take on a life of their own and become fact.” The arrow designates where a new super highway is being planned.
In a follow up report we will fill you in on all the details.
One young woman explained to the crowd that she and her husband had just moved into a house they had built by themselves. “We’ve been living with our in-laws for the past five years. If that road gets built – and we are right under that green arrow” she said – “then where will we go.” Someone in the audience suggested, rather unkindly, that she could “go back to their in-laws” – and that was about the only real laughter during the evening.
Blair Lancaster led the roster of politicians including Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair, Burlington Council member John Taylor who originally called the meeting in the Kilbride area but soon realized the hall up there was way to small. Rick Goldring, Mayor of Burlington spoke as did MPP’s Joyce Savoline and Ted Chudleigh. Both said they were totally opposed to the new road while the leader of their party, the Progressive Conservatives, is supporting the new road. Further, the idea for a new superhighway came out of the Harris government back in 2002. Odd that the local MPP’s should stand up and say they were opposed. Ooops – there is a provincial election in less than 300 days – of course they would be opposed with 1200 voters standing in front of them.
Gary Carr was very effective when he said “we have to hold together and be consistent in our objection to this idea”.
More detail later – want this to be in your morning news feed.
Will there be roses?
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON Jan 31st, 2011 – Will they be throwing roses on the stage when the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) budget gets debated by city council later this month? Council members will get a copy of the budget this Friday afternoon and, based on some of the comments made at previous council meetings, the plans may be in for a rough ride.
Ward 3 council member John Taylor was a little antsy last week when he complained about not knowing what the budget was going to look like and how much the deficit was going to amount to for the first year of operation.
The BPAC is an arms length organization, run by a 13 person Board that sets out policy and a staff that runs the place which is scheduled to open this fall. The city’s role in the operation is to pick up whatever the deficit amounts to – and there will be a deficit the first couple of years.
Former Chair, and now Past Chair, Keith Strong advises that the deficit will be much less than a million dollars but many suspect it will be higher because there hasn’t been all that much in the way of financial information from the BPAC people.
To date, the BPAC has held a number of open houses which let people see how the construction has proceeded. Strong points out that the place is “on time and on budget” – something he adds that Burlington hasn’t seen in some time.
Taylor wanted to know what acts and performers have been booked and how much had been spent. Staff assured Taylor that all would be revealed when the budget and business plan are presented. Taylor wasn’t satisfied. “Events have to be booked well in advance” said Taylor at a recent meeting – “so they must know what we are going to see in the fall.” Staff couldn’t add much in the way of information other than to say that the report was “in the works”
 - Will roses be thrown for a Bravo! Performance when BPAC present their budget and business plan?
Once can’t expect Taylor to be throwing roses on the stage for the BPAC Board’s premier performance before council. Taylor has never been a big fan of the centre and points to failure after failure of this type of organization. HECFI in Hamilton is going broke he will tell you and most opf the smaller theatre groups in Burlington don’t like what’ve heard of the cost structure to use the new building. The fact is that few Executive Directors of new performance Centre’s last much more than a year and a half, but that doesn’t seem to have phased Brenda Heatherington who is beavering away at getting the building completed and planning for the first six months or so of performances. This is a woman who wears a construction helmet and velvet gloves at the same time.
The completion of the building is, as Strong says “on budget and on time” and one wonders why the Board isn’t being given credit that that achievement – no small feat in Burlington.
Alan Pearson, chair for the current year is pretty aggressive with his comments and he doesn’t have a lot of time for the ‘nay sayers’. “The train has left the station on this issue” says Pearson. It is too late for people to carp about whether or not this is a good thing for Burlington, he adds, sounding like a guy who believes everything is under control. “We are planning a soft opening with a series of low key events that will give the community time to get used to the facility” explains Pearson. So, it looks as if there isn’t going to be a big budget, boffo event that will cost a fortune and be foisted on a community that is still getting used to the idea that we have a performing arts centre.
 - Will the BPAC be taking a bow after their performance before Council?
Strong says talking about the specifics of performances now is premature. There s a lot to get done and the public will know all about what is planned when it is appropriate. Well, it is ‘show business’ and I guess we have to leave it to the people behind the curtains do develop the buzz and create the hype that will result in sold out performances.
This is a new step for Burlington and except for the small kafuffle over which brick to use on the outside of the building – there haven’t been any problems. We have an Executive Director who has the experience needed to make the place work and a fund raising team that has done exceptionally well with more than $10 million raised to date. Denise Walker has taken over the fund raising effort for the final drive. Strong explains that fund raising expenses, which are minimal, get paid with the interest earned on the funds raised and held by the city. Nothing financially flabby about this organization. Lean and driven so far. But Strong grouses that the city pays a miserable 1% – you get the sense that if her were managing the money the return would be a little fatter.
The Board is a pretty hard driving bunch of people. They meet once a month at 8 am. With two Council members on the Board Rick Craven, Ward 1 and the Mayor, and one senior city staff member, Steve Zorbas, former city treasurer (so he will know how to count the jelly beans) and now Acting General Manager Infrastructure and Development plus ten other people drawn from the community – the public interest is certainly well represented.
The Budget and the attendant documents get known on February 14th – Valentine’s Day. Pearson should perhaps bring chocolates.
The locus of civic engagement is where we live in our local neighbourhoods.
A book review by Walter Mulkewich:
In the past year, the Shape Burlington process started a community wide conversation about civic engagement in Burlington. Shape Burlington’s successor organization, Shaping Burlington, is continuing that conversation by promoting the eight recommendations of the Shape Report, and now has presented to City Council its model for an “Engagement Charter”.
With its clarion call, “City Hall must reinvent itself”, the Shape Burlington Report emphasized how citizens can more effectively be engaged with City Hall and its decision-making processes.
But, effective civic engagement is not only about City Hall reinventing itself; it is about local residents rediscovering the lost art of citizenship. That is essentially the topic of the recently published book, Local Motion.
This book is about civic engagement in Toronto, but its ideas and examples cross municipal borders – certainly to other GTA cities such as Burlington.
The setting for the book may be the swamp of anger, resentment, and diminished expectations that characterized the recent Toronto municipal election – an election that was fought on clichés of gravy trains and value for taxpayers rather than lifting up a vision for better urban and civic life.
Local Motion is about how ordinary citizens who are passionate, stubborn, and committed are already the basis of real change in Toronto. The sixth of the uTOpia series by Coach House Press about great ideas for Toronto, Local Motion examines how citizens can take their own initiatives and become involved in building a better city.
The fourteen essays by on-the-ground journalists explore what makes Toronto tick and stall. They give examples of citizens who make things happen, how citizens can be involved in the budget process, how the voting system can be reformed, how citizens can navigate local bureaucracy, and get the attention of the media. An interesting essay is how citizens can use music to further civic engagement. The essays are both hopeful and inspiring.
The introduction of the book sets out a fundamental understanding of civic engagement: “What your city can do for you is important; the flip side, what you can do for your city, is the other half of the deal. It needn’t be as extravagant as building a hospital: You can organize a neighbourhood picnic, fight the demolition of a beautiful building, run for City Council, even just pick up some litter. We can’t wait for the politicians to do these things for us. The way to make our city better is to do it ourselves.”
Burlington has had a strong history of citizens making a difference in many areas of civic life. We can rediscover that history, build on the Shape report, and move on to rediscover the lost art of citizenship.
In beginning and end, the locus of civic engagement is not in the rooms and corridors of city hall, but where we live in our local neighbourhoods.
Local Motion is an interesting read.
Local Motion, The Art of Civic Engagement in Toronto,
Dave Meslin, Christina Palassio, & Alana Wilcox,
Coach House Press, 2010
221 pages
Walter Mulkewich, a former Mayor of Burlington, former Co-Chair of the former Shape Burlington Committee, and a member of Shaping Burlington.
What it cries out for today is some reaction on both sides of the coin, of the revived interest in Aldershot as a new home for the Ticats. Its location is perfect in terms of visibility, parking and transportation, but it removes this fabled football team from within the confines of the City of Hamilton. (That said, someone pointed out that the Buffalo Bills don’t play within Buffalo-proper.)
I can’t imagine this will be totally free of tax implications or infrastructure costs for the good burghers of Burlington. That said, the positive elements, (new employment opportunities, another attraction for Burlington as an employment mecca, new tax income etc.) may well balance out the negative implications.
It’s an issue with huge ramifications for Burlington at a time when other projects like the Performing Arts Centre and the pier stand out as large tax-consuming items.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if the mere mention of Aldershot as a stadium site is enough to make Hamilton’s council reconsider Confederation Park as a site — just to keep it in “The Hammer.”
Seems to me, Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina is in a win-win situation: he can blame the whole stadium mess on the previous council and if it goes to Aldershot, Hamilton can focus its heritage funds on other, more appropriate projects that will help that city in its renaissance efforts.
This is the big end-of-2010 story for Burlington!
Site looks great. Nice balance of stories and a light, bright, tight writing style.
Ron Dennis
Editors note” Ron is a drinking buddy and we published a review of his recent book: Adventures in Shroomville: the mystery of Hedgehog Hill, so he might be just a little prejudiced – but we don’t mind.
BURLINGTON, ON December 1, 2010 – A new start, difficult when the problems from the immediate past are there staring at you. But Mayor Rick Goldring did his very best and while he still isn’t quite used to the idea that he is THE Mayor he got the city off to a good start.
 It wasn’t a “rousing” speech but, OK, so he isn’t an orator. He made the points he wanted to make and did all the “nice, nice” things. The Burlington Teen Tour Band was there announce the arrival of the new Council into the chamber and there was a real Judge who signed documents. The city does need to get a better chair for people to sit in while they sign documents after reading the oaths – think the budget can handle that.
The Council Chamber was filled with the usual dignitaries who were introduced. One former Mayor seemed to be ready to make a speech but that was avoided. The audience was pretty white though and for an event that was “by invitation only” there were at least four empty seats that I saw.
The Burlington Post in their December 1st issue, pointed out how graceless the previous Council had been in the way it handled itself at the closing meeting of that Council. For a city that prides itself on its civility there is clearly some distance to go.
Mayor Goldring laid out a pretty decent set of goals – wants to keep the tax increase to 10% over the term of office – that’s still 2.5% a year at a time when the Region has come up with a 0% increase for the next year and Toronto, a city that really knows how to spend money is calling for a 0% increase as well. Can we not do with less than 2.5% MORE each year? Where is the value for this extra spending?
Our new Mayor declared that the Pier would be finished but he is less than fully candid when he makes that statement. Every member of the old council and by now the members of this new Council know that the Pier could get completed eventually if we want to spend a lot more money, but it won’t happen in 2011 or 2012 and, again, it is going to cost a lot more than this Council is prepared to tell you.
The Shape Burlington report recommendations will be acted upon – “addressed and implemented in some form” was the language the Mayor used. City staff expect to have their response to the report ready for some time in February – that’s eight months after the report was delivered to Council. It took the committee that put the report together just four months. Is there a little foot dragging going on within city hall?
We learned from our new Mayor that Council is going to leave the running of the city to the people hired to do that job and that “Council cannot micromanage staff and expect to hold them accountable at the same time”. Dead on – but let us be sure to actually hold city staff accountable. Our Mayor wants there to be “clearly defined expectations” and is proposing “a community based service review in the first year of Council”. He didn’t tightly define what that means but the one things that is always evident with Rick Goldring is that while still somewhat naïve – he is earnest and decent. The kind of man who puts a bit of a spit shine on his shoes and makes time to talk to anyone who wants to talk to him.
The citizens of Burlington sent a clear message”, our Mayor told us and “they expect Council to operate differently, to be more open and accountable, to be more respectful, to listen and work with the community more closely, and to finish the Pier”. The Mayor was dead right on the message the citizens sent and hopefully a Council on which half of the members are new will be able to make the three people who were part of the old Council deliver in a different way. Cam Jackson isn’t there anymore – so they can’t blame him.
Our City is being led by a very decent human being who is going to take the next few days to attend a course in Orillia with other men and woman who are newly elected Mayors – Mayoring 101 if you will – a good start.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON January 16, 2011 – He came and as always he was entertaining and informative. He knows what he is talking about and he loves what he does. Well into his 70’s former Mayor David Crombie spent an hour with Burlington’s Waterfront Advisory Committee and talked about what he had done with his Royal Commission to create the Waterfront Trail that runs from Niagara Falls to Quebec city – 800 kms.
 Crombie made a number of very trenchant points. Will the Committee have heard what he had to say? Will they absorb what he is talking about? Will the community rise to the challenge he set out?
Burlington used to be a leader in waterfront development and the Spencer Smith portion.
The sign is showing its age – much like the thinking being done by the Waterfront Advisory Committee.
The waterfront is certainly something to be very proud of, but, as Crombie pointed out, that leadership isn’t being seen anymore. The Pier issue isn’t helping but Mayor Goldring is rock firm in his resolution to resolve that problem.
- We are fighting with our developers instead of partnering with them.
- We don’t appear to have strong working relationships with our neighbours to the east and west. Oh we get along with them, there is no animosity, but how are we working with Oakville to integrate our park at Burloak into what Oakville has done to create a waterfront that is alive and active ?
- And what are we doing to connect ourselves to Cootes Paradise?
- Crombie pointed out that the waterfront extends up and through the creeks that flow into the Lake – does Burlington see it’s creeks as part of its waterfront?
Our own western beach is just sort of sitting there – there doesn’t appear to be a long term view; the Waterfront Committee has yet to gel into something that will take ideas to the city, pull the city together and create a focus or challenge the city to be today what it used to be waterfront leaders.
Slip over to the eastern part of the Hamilton waterfront – there are restaurants and people roller blading on the paths. Even a hot dog stand and washrooms that are not a disgrace.
Part of the problem with the Waterfront Committee is that it was created to solve a political problem. The Save our Waterfront people were pressuring city hall to do something about the Pier and the rumblings of development in the Old Lakeshore precinct and former Mayor Jackson created the Committee and put a political friend in as chair. The waterfront had the potential to become a very significant political issue during the election. Turned out that the election was about the then Mayor and not the waterfront. Now we have a committee that seems to be struggling to find itself. The chair doesn’t have a tight relationship with his committee members. Craig Lewis had to resign due to work conflicts and the chair wasn’t able to say which ward Lewis represented. The committee has yet to become the “working together team” it is going to have to become if it wants to achieve anything.
The political makeup is different today. Marianne Meed Ward now sits on the committee along with Rick Craven of Ward 1 and the Mayor. Will these three energize this committee?
The Old Lakeshore road area doesn’t seem to have a “plan”. There is going to be an exceptionally tall building (22 stories) on the south side of the road at the bottom of Pearl, within spitting distance of the Lake. The community has yet to realize has yet to realize how it will come to dominate the shoreline. It is described as a “landmark” building – something to locate Burlington on the shore line and it is certainly going to do that. There are drawings of what that Landmark site will look like but the general public hasn’t seen them yet. That is not to say the planning office is hiding anything – there just hasn’t been the kind of transparency the public was expecting.
The 22 storey building is far past the point where the community will have any input – a done deal as they say. The site planning is the last stage for community input and it is not yet clear if the planning department is going to do anything radical to involve the public.
Burlington is fortunate to have one of the best planning minds in the province. SOW chair Michael Jones talks to David Crombie at Waterfront Advisory meeting. Maybe some ideas went from the former mayor to a growing activist?
Krushelnicki wrote the definitive book on how one deals with the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) but does that background and depth of experience translate to ideas and activities that involve the public. It is time for some energy and vitality from both the Waterfront Advisory Committee and the planning department.
Scott Stewart has in the past come close to pleading with the Waterfront Committee to do something. They still seem to be in “thinking mode”. Perhaps the jolt needed will come from Michael Jones, the new chair of Save Our Waterfront. Somebody needs to do something.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON February 4, 2011 – Each of the media in any community look to see what the other guy is doing. They read us, we read them and the television guys scalp from all of us.
And so it was with interest that we noticed the comment Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring made about the size of the legal bill the city has had to pay regarding the Brant Street Pier. In an interview with Tina Depko of the Burlington Post, Goldring said he was “tracking the expenses but was unable to disclose the cost until the legal process has ended.”
What possible impact on the legal process could telling the people who provide the money to pay the bills have on the Court case – if it ever gets to trial? The real issue here is, the Mayor is worried about the backlash that will come from those taxpayers.
And here is where His Worship sets himself up for that backlash. If you treat your children like children – they will behave like children. This happened with the council member pay issue – but that’s another story that we will cover in more detail when it next comes before Council – but we do want to add that the council members are entitled to a pay increase under a formula that was written by a committee of taxpayers.
Back to the Pier and the legal costs. We have already heard that there has been some very disappointing bad faith on the part of one of the organizations involved in the building of the Pier. The city didn’t have as strong a dispute resolution as it should have had in its contract and we got caught up with people who chose not to be fair or responsible. Things like this happen from time to time and your Council is dealing with it – rather well I might add.
 But there is still that reluctance to get all the facts on the table, to tell the public what you have done with their money and explain why – and when you make a mistake – tell them. This city isn’t made up of stupid people, most of them understand that things get complex and are at times complicated.
When Paul Sharman, council member for Ward 5, was asked about the problem with the dispute resolution clause he replied: “… despite the clause, it and the whole contract are never the less legitimate. The City is the buyer and is not in the wrong to any degree. The parties who are responsible to fulfill the contract are obliged to perform and we expect them to do so. The frustrating part for the citizens of Burlington is that they should have been told all this ages ago. I am satisfied that the City is presently doing the right things.”
For the most part Paul Sharman has it right, however he will nevertheless go into yet another closed door council meeting soon and hear what you should be hearing. It is time to begin treating the taxpayers as intelligent, responsible people who read and understand the issues and also time for the tax payers to inform themselves and understand the complexity of the issue and the job their city council is doing for them. The Mayor could however make it a little easier for the taxpayers to understand things by being straight with them and stop hiding behind legal excuses.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 31, 2010 – Keep these three phrases at your finger tips: transparency, Shape Burlington and legal advice. Transparency – not hiding information; being open and direct. Shape Burlington – that was the report that former Mayor Cam Jackson commissioned and which was accepted unanimously by Council. Legal counsel’s advice. Listening to what your lawyer tells you to do. Can you see where I am going with this?
A couple of businessmen who own a football team ask for a meeting with the Mayor at 4:22 pm Christmas Eve. Must be serious, eh! The Mayor agrees and takes a council member with him along with an advisor. The meeting goes fairly well. The football guys explain that they want to move to Burlington, have financial players lined up and a piece of property with the zoning they need is available. Will the city talk to them? Is the Pope Catholic?
Nothing all that specific – just an “are you at all interested, and the Mayor says he is and they part ways with an agreement to keep in touch while Hamilton, the current home town for the football club decides if it is going to be able to build a stadium that meets the needs of the football team.
The Burlington Mayor immediately calls all his council members and briefs them on what took place. That’s transparency, good transparency. Phone calls are made, the media picks up on it and a council member who is: 1) new to the job and 2) has some difficulty playing on a team heads for the TV cameras to explain that it will not work, cannot work and is “financial lunacy”. Thirty peer reviewed reports get mentioned but we don’t get to see the contents of those reports or who published them. Reference is made to a conversation the council member initiated with a “representative of the football team – but we never learn the name of this representative. That is not transparency.
Shape Burlington in its report to the community on what the problems were said there was a lack of trust between the council and the community; people didn’t know what was happening and they didn’t have enough input.
Legal advice: The city is embroiled in a very messy, expensive dispute with the contractor hired to build the Pier. Numbers get thrown around, rumours abound and the city is seen as having no credibility. They continually say – they can’t talk because the lawyers have advised them that doing so will damage any claim they have against the contractor. And heaven knows, if the lawyer says don’t open your mouth – then even if you look really dumb, you dummy up and say nothing. Burlington is in this unfortunate situation with the Pier – they are listening to the lawyers.
But with this proposed sports complex – there are no lawyers and there is a very clear set of recommendations that this council is now required to work within. The old Council voted for the report and two of the newer council members were in involved in preparing the report. And just in case there is any doubt as to what each council member said about public trust and transparency click here for their words – read the comments each member of council made on trust and transparency.
Here is a heaven sent opportunity for the city to show that they know what transparency is by holding a public meeting, just the way Councillors John Taylor and Blair Lancaster did with the proposed Mid Peninsula highway.
The Mayor could explain what the football team wants to do, set out what they have in the way of facts and figures and fully inform the community and promise to continually inform them.
The event could be covered live by Cogeco – they could even arrange for people at home to call in with their questions. Heck – set up a cash bar and have a food concession. Make it an event that covers it’s costs. Collect names and email addresses and promise to keep people informed. It is what they all ran for election on – remember?
This is an occasion to be wide, wide open and not get caught and tied up in someone else’s agenda. Our Mayor is a decent, honest open person and is still in his honeymoon stage with the electorate. He needs to be open and deliver answers to the questions that will be asked. This could be citizen participation at its best – it certainly worked for Councillors Taylor and Lancaster. And it is what Marianne Meed Ward has been talking about since the day she formed Save our Waterfront – time to walk the talk missy.
The Mayor needs to get in front of this parade and not let individual council members head for the TV cameras with information that is partially true but woefully incomplete.
The Mayor can hold a public meeting (but please, don’t wear the orange shirt this time). He has the budget and he can compel the various players in the game to attend and explain what the plans are and lay out the facts and figures.
The stadium is part of a planned complex – it was never intended as a stand alone thing in the middle of a field. There is to be a hotel, a small office building and an arena that could be expanded to house an NHL team. A four story parking garage added to the GO site is part of the thinking. There would be at least one medium to high end restaurant on the site and you know there would be a Tim Horton’s in there somewhere.
This is a great opportunity for Burlington but only IF the numbers are right. Walk the talk people.
By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON February 17, 2011 – Well, we weren’t robbed but when we went to open the door last Wednesday – there was nothing there. It took a bit to figure out what had happened – someone misread a situation and a story and did something really stupid.
As a result we had to do an almost complete re-build of the web site which gave us a chance to make some changes that were on the back burner and make the site a bit more attractive – gave it a bit of a snappier look.
Then we have to reload all the stories – still work to do at that level – and of course get on with all the new and recent news. Four stories were loaded this afternoon
A young techie working with us did an incredible job of handling the rebuild. He put in long hours and did some interesting work. Odd though, how these younger people work today. Us older types – you know the ones that were around in the 50’s – tend to stick to a task until it’s done – even if that means being up all night.
Our techie doesn’t bring quite that level of dedication. He clicked on to the web camera at Spencer Smith Park and saw all the ice on the Lake and immediately drove down to the park and walked out on the ice. Whoa, I thought when I heard that – this is the brains that is re-building the system and he is out walking on ice? How thick was that ice? How ‘thick’ was that `techie? But he survived and if you ask him he will tell you how thick that ice was.
 Before the melt down we accumulated 3041 unique users in 118 days. A unique user is someone who logs into the web site at least once from a specific computer. The most read story –I’m almost ashamed to say this – was the story of a dog naming contest, second most read was the one on the soccer Mom’s.
Those 3041 users visited the web site 9,229 times in that 118 days and while they were there read 70,145 pages (seems like a lot doesn’t it) and while doing so spent an average of 7.5 minutes on the web site. For a start up that cares only about Burlington – those are seen as good numbers – or at least that is what the experts tell us.
We made our share of mistakes and issued a correction each time there was an error. Comments from readers were ‘”few” but robust.
The “beat” goes on.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON February 17th, 2011. – They made it and in the process set a new record for the Burlington United Way campaign. The team wanted a nice round figure and so senior staff leaned a little on the Campaign Fund Raising Chair, Karmel Sakran, and got him to write a cheque for $54.00 which took the original total of $2,199,946.00 and put it over the $2,200,000. level. Nice bit above the 2010 total of $2,150,000.
 - Tim Brown, left and Len Lifchus, both of the United Way, lean just a little on Fund Raising Campaign Chair Karmel Sakran, center, to write a cheque for the amount to got the total to $2,200,00 – a record for Burlington.
Now the task of distributing the funds to the 37 different programs in Burlington that are supported by the United Way begins Len Lifchus, CEO of the joint Burlington and Greater Hamilton United Way, points out when he talks of the work the United Way does he realizes there are some serious myths about social issues in Burlington.
“People don’t think there is any poverty here – there is. People don’t think we have significant youth issues in Burlington – we have them. And people don’t appreciate how desperate some of the seniors in this community are. These are real problems and the money raised by the United Way goes a long way to helping community groups deliver a service to these people who need help”, stated Lifchus.
The task for the United Way now is to begin allocating what was raised – and that is not as simple as just writing cheques. Eighty four cents of every dollar raised get sent to the community. Seven cents is used to cover the cost of administration and nine cents used to cover fund raising expenses. As fund raising organizations go – that’s a pretty decent balance.
That 84 cents left amount to $1,848,000.00 – which will be divvied up and sent out late in March. All the organizations seeking funds have had their applications in since the end of November.
All the funding applications are reviewed by a volunteer committee that has several levels. “These applications” explained Tim Brown, Senior Director, Resource Development, “get put through several levels of review. What we watch for is the measurable outcomes that the community will see with the funds we provide.”
Volunteers are the life blood of organizations like the United Way. While there are 16 people on staff there are 554 volunteers who do things like review funding applications and make those hard choices as to who gets what. The final decision is made at the full Board level but it is the volunteers who do the grunt work and propose a schedule for the Board to approve.
“There is never enough money” cautions Lifchus. We do the best we can with what we raise and then develop the community so that more can be raised. The per capita amount raised in Burlington is $12.25 cents while in Toronto it is $56.00 but Toronto isn’t a good example to compare with – they have all those large corporations, adds Lifchus. “But adds Brown, “London is quite comparable to Burlington and their per capita is twice that of Burlington – so we have some work to do.”
The area that needs the most development is the corporate side. There are hundreds of companies in Burlington that don’t have an employee contribution program. We need to reach those companies and explain what the United Way does and how it makes a difference to the company, their work force and the community they work within.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON February 16, 2011 – Kilbride is one of those small rural communities that has a combination of “quaint” feeling and “rural run down” to it. The hub would seem to be the community centre with the local United Church coming in a close second. The most northerly community of Burlington, Kilbride is there, but doesn’t get a lot of attention. That’s about to change.
 - Not everything in Kilbride is picturesque but it was all threatened.
The countryside is splendid and many of the homes are lovely. It is certainly quiet, which is probably the way most people up there like it. But the community is threatened in the short term by possible budget cuts that may impact on the community centre and a fire department that is seriously undermanned. Those problems aside, it is a sleep little community and they don’t need much time to tell you that that is the way they want it to stay, peaceful, quiet and no major roads running through this part of town if you don’t mind.
 - This community was on the front line of the fight against a highway ripping past the community and was ready to protest loudly. Turns out the other side faded away.
A road the province wanted to ram through that part of the city – in about 20 years – galvanized the community and when the plans for the highway were stopped they thought they could be quiet again. Changes in the next Burlington budget may have them marching down Cedar Springs Road and heading for City Hall with hay forks and battle axes over there shoulders.
The community is served by a rather large school, a fire station with a community police station that you reach at night by picking up a telephone outside the building. This is a very low crime community – maybe a house break in from time to time and perhaps some road accidents. The equipment at the fire station is well maintained – it just isn’t very well manned.
 - Equipped but not fully manned.
The requirement is for 40 people to staff the place but there are just 19 and they are all volunteers. Those parts of Burlington south of Dundas get what the fire department officials call 4×4, which is their code for four fireman at a location in four minutes – but that doesn’t happen in Kilbride. Poor fire service, and that doesn’t mean the fireman do a poor job – there just aren’t enough firemen to cover all the shifts. is just one of their problems – the community centre is at about as much risk as any house that might catch fire.
 - Quaintly rural – with a canon to ward off the road surveyors?
As Burlington gets into the nitty gritty of its budget making for the next fiscal year it has to decide where it wants to cut, where it has to cut. The city went through a four year period where the tax increases amounted to 28% during that four year period and the taxpayers got fed up. Newly elected Mayor Rick Goldring told his constituents in his inaugural address that he would strive to keep the increase to 10% during his four year term but Ward 5 Council member Paul Sharman stunned both Council and city hall staff when he said tax increases could and would be held to 0%. He said at the time that the political will was represented by council and that he wanted staff to come back with budget that had a 0% increase.
 - Picturesque and threatened.
And that is what council will struggle with in the weeks ahead. It will get noisy as city staff lays out the options and council members either stand up to their constituents or fold the way Rick Goldring did when he was council member for Ward 5 and his residents almost ran him out of the ward when he voted for having a soccer pitch for the Pan Am games in Sherwood Forest Park
Sharman is something new to this city council. He is bold, a bit on the gruff side but can be amazingly gracious when he chooses. But you never doubt where he is coming from. He wants better value for the money we pay city hall staff and he doesn’t want to pay them as much either. He is proposing that there be no COLA – Cost of Living Allowance, which gives city hall staff an automatic pay increase – annually, based on the CPI, Consumer Price Index.
He is prepared to see merit pay given out but he doesn’t want to have council involved in that process. “We would just determine what the gross amount of the merit pay allocation would be and leave it to the city manager to determine who gets what – based on their performance.” That didn’t appear to go down all that well with senior city hall staff and that policy isn’t a done deal yet.
What will Kilbride lose in terms of services? That won’t be known until the budget is finalized – but it could be a noisy council chamber in the weeks ahead.
 The By law enforcement officer is not going to go along with this kind of grass on the boulevard in front of your house. By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON February 16, 2011 – That Boulevard outside your house may not be your property – but it is about to become your responsibility – and you’re going to have to cut the grass when it starts growing again.
City Council decided this week that you have to cut that grass and if you don’t – the by-law enforcement officer will drop by and he won’t be having a cup of coffee with you. Most people who have a boulevard outside their house already cut that grass – we do, but now we have to cut it.
And you are going to have to cut it short too. If it isn’t cut to about two and a half inches and weeds grow and they show – you may have to pick those weeds as well. But if you cut the grass regularly and keep it short the By-Law enforcement Officer will drive by and smile – and you’ll like the look of the street you live on.
Ward 1 council member Rick Craven smiled when the matter was being discussed at a Community Development Committee. He has a constituent who doesn’t cut the grass – ever – and places a sign on his boulevard saying the grass is “natural” and is not be cut. We can see a problem developing in Aldershot over that one. We all have to play nice and look the same – no room for some oddball look in Burlington.
No word on whether or not the city is going to allow artificial turf on the boulevards.
By Pepper Parr
MILTON, ON February 13, 2011 – It was just a cool way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And it was a great deal as well. For $20. you got two hours of exceptional jazz in a really pleasant renovated barn setting with all the coffee you wanted to drink, several cheese trays and cup cakes – and a beer tasting table and a cash bar. And because this was Valentine Sunday – there were carnations for the women. The event was part of the pretty regular Sunday Jazz program at the Halton Regional Museum.
This is something worth checking out. The location is very nice and the price – almost too good to be true. Led by Polish born, Toronto-based musician Paul Pacanowski we heard many of the old standards as well as an original composition: “Summer Hay Ride” in which you could hear the clip clop of the horses hooves. Nice piece of work.
The Jazz series are part of the Halton Museum Foundation program – well worth looking into.
Public punster puts pages
in the hands of a reviewer.
Ron Dennis recently published his first children’s book and now faces the pen of a fellow scribe. A review of this first effort follows.
Review by Eric Kohanik
The classic literary battle of good vs. evil is not new.
Neither is the embodiment of that theme in a fresh-faced young hero squaring off against a craggy, demonic villain. Nor is it a surprise that distant family ties would somehow be involved in setting the stage for the ultimate showdown.
We see all those elements in Adventures in Shroomville: The Mystery of Hedgehog Hill, a children’s/young adults’ novel penned by former daily journalist Ron Dennis.
You may already have had a peek at Shroomville. The Hamilton Spectator and other newspapers serialized chapters of the fantasy novel earlier this year as part of the Newspapers in Education program to help cultivate young readers.
Shroomville follows the saga of young Marshall Shroom, a kid who seems destined to tread in the footsteps of his dad as Town Constable of Shroomville, an unorthodox little village nestled deep in a boreal forest. On his 13th birthday, young Mars gets the telepathic call to follow his destiny, so he sets out to track down and rescue his missing father and best friend, a young girl named Portia Bella.
The clever adventure has twists, but Dennis refrains from making his tale too complex. This is a quick and easy read, tailored to stimulate and stretch the imaginations of the young and young-at-heart. And its quirky slate of characters will likely evoke more than a passing chuckle along the way with their assorted, pun-filled names.
Adventures in Shroomville: The Mystery of Hedgehog Hill, by Ron Dennis (Manor House Publishing; $14.95 CDN / $12.95 US) Available at Chapters/Indigo on Brant Street in Burlington.
Mais Oui monsieur,
that is a beret I am wearing.
By Staff
Burlington, home of the Canadian National Road Cycling Championships – sort of a mini Tour de France – we could call it Tour de Burlington and we’d all wear berets. Ok, so the name needs some work but there is a very good chance that Burlington will become the home of this event for at least two years during which time thousands of cyclists will get to peddle around our back roads and street, stay in our hotels and dine in our restaurants. This is all good for Burlington.
Well just what is a National Cycling Championship?
This kind of competitive racing has very distinct categories and classifications. If this can be made to happen here Time Trials, Road Racing, Para and Criterium racing.
We will see two levels of talent. The Elites – theses are people who are superb riders and in 2011 they will compete in the following: Men and women in Road Racing in a Rattle Snake Point/Burlington/Milton route
The Para, Junior and Masters class will do Time Trials on Walkers Line on June 30th. The Junior Master class will do Criterium on July 1st in downtown Burlington and the Junior, Master class will do a Road Race on a Rattle Snake point/Waterdown/Aldershot route.
Road Races – These are mass-start events held on open roads. Racers ride in groups or ‘pelotons’, corner at high speeds, take turns ‘pulling’ at the front of pace lines, and pick tactical spots to try to break away. The first rider across the finish line is the winner. The course may be from point to point, from town to town, or on a circuit (the start and finish are in the same place.) Usually the course is closed to traffic in the area of the race. Road races can be up to a couple hundred kilometers long (over 100 miles.)
Criterium – A criterium is a short road race on a circuit – usually city streets – closed to traffic. The distance per lap may vary from 1/2km to 3km (1/3 mile to 2 miles). Races are of varying numbers of laps. The mass start, high-speed cornering and sprinting make criterium exciting for participants and spectators alike. Because criterium pass the same point each lap they are better spectator events than road races.
Time Trail – A time trial is an individual or team race over a fixed distance against the clock. Rider start individually at timed intervals and the rider with the fastest time wins. Distances raced vary from 1km to 100km. The course may be from point to point, from town to town, or on a circuit (the start and finish are in the same place.) The course is closed to traffic in the area of the race.
It’s exciting stuff, it’s good business and it will certainly be different for Burlington. You might see clothing like this at Tumblewood or Joelle’s on Brant Street. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take one of those sharp left turns and get us on the same road the Pan Am Games took.
Rob is left scratching his head
And then uttered a classical Canadian phrase eh?
By Rob MacLellan and Mike Harris
We just love it when there is dialogue – people exchanging views and asking questions.
Rob, my neighbour who has a great big snow blower, so we are buddies if you know what I mean. Rob tells people he hails from Cape Breton (hope he doesn’t put that on his resume) sent me this:
From Rob:
I thought this might interest you given your the attention paid to politics and political figures on your website. I recently sent a message to Burlington MP Mike Wallace and have attached it along with his reply below.
Kind of makes you scratch your head and think a bit. Personally, I cannot see how a cut in personal taxes would save the average Canadian family enough to not mortgage their futures.
Here is what` Rob sent Mike Wallace, his Member of Parliament:
Hello Mike,
I recently received a mailer from your office and I wanted comment on it. This particular mailer has a focus on families with respect to taxes and such.
I am sure you are probably quite aware of the costs of raising a family, it seems the bills never seem to end. Two of the more substantial costs coming from child care, and saving for post secondary education.
I view myself as one of the lucky ones who doesn’t feel the pinch too badly with respect to these costs, but it always leaves me to wonder about those who may have a more difficult time making ends meet.
Let’s focus on child care as I think it would likely be the most universal issue to young families.
Assuming the “Average Canadian” household income is ~ $70,000, say $35,000 per spouse. If the average tax rate is approximately 19%, so approximate Net family income each year is $56,700. Breaking it down even further, gives a family $1,090 each week to spend. I know there are tax experts out there who would curse such a rough calculation, but I would hope I am still fairly close to the mark here.
For this example I will use a family with two (2) children, who are at daycare age.
Now if we factor in the $2,400 / year Universal Child Care Benefit, or $1,944 after 19% tax, it gives a family an extra $37 per week.
So, assuming $1,127 / week take home pay for an average Cdn. family. Where does that money need to go?
Household Costs (avg. per week):
– $490.00 Child Care(example taken from Woodlands Childcare centre here in Burlington)
– $30.00 Hydro
– $26.00 Union Gas
– $30.00 Telephone / Television / Internet
– $150.00 Grocery
– $242.00 Mortgage (assuming $200,000 mortgage, 3.99%, 25 years, weekly payment)
– $50.00 Property Tax
– $40.00 Insurance (home / auto[1])
– $50.00 Gas (for auto)
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$1,108.00 Average
That leaves $19 per week to cover miscellaneous expenses (clothing, furniture, car payments, home/auto repair, life insurance, etc.), spending money (entertainment), savings (Vacation, RRSP, RESP), etc. I don’t know about you, but I know I spend a fair deal more than $19/week on miscellaneous type expenses.
The single largest cost based on my calculations is Child Care. I know my estimates are raw and debatable, but I suspect they are not far from what families are paying.
I have a hard time seeing how Canadians will be to live day-to-day and make ends meet, let alone be able to save for their future (i.e. retirement), and the future of their children (i.e. post secondary).
My question is this. If the above information is even close to accurate, would you want to live like the “Average Canadian”?
I welcome your feedback.
Here is what Rob got back from his Member of Parliament.
Hello Mr. MacLellan
First, I would like to thank you for taking the time and effort to write a detailed response to my recent mailer. I will not dispute your numbers. The issue the mailer addressed was that families faced a higher family tax burden prior to us taking office. The tax burden was about $3000.00 more for a family of four. This is not to say the job is done, but we have been reducing federal taxes for individuals and families. Tax freedom day now comes weeks earlier in the year than under previous governments.
This may not be enough, but we will continue to find ways to cut personal taxes.
Rob is still scratching his head over this one.
Ask your kid – if s/he knows – s/he is a genius.
By Staff
What does 2 128 look like and what do you call the things?
It’s an undecillion and when the internet cuts over to a new, and necessary, list of addresses, they will be able to issue 340 undecillion of the things.
That number looks like this:
340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456
If you think your kid is a genius ask him what an undecillion is – if the kid knows – it’s a genius and your troubles have just begun.
If the kid is just normal it will explain what an internet address is and why you use the things. Have a high school student ask the math teacher what an undecillion is – shold pick up an A for that one.
Now you’re smarter than you were yesterday.
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